GROUND TURKEY + wild rice + black beans + tomatoes

There's so many ways to stuff bell peppers, but this spicy dish is by far my favorite! It has the perfect ratio of meat to rice and beans. Ironically, it's packed with kale that's so well disguised, no one will even know it's there. I cooked this recipe for my family and they assumed it was some sort of green herb like parsley or chives. They were shocked to find out it's kale.

Prep Time:​1 hour

Cook Time:​30 minutes

Total Time:1 hour and 30 minutes

Servings: 6

ingredients

6 bell peppers (preferably red, yellow, or orange)

1 pound ground turkey (use more turkey for a meatier stuffed pepper)

1 box wild rice

1 can black beans

1 can peeled diced tomatoes

1 jar tomato sauce

1 bag kale

1 white onion

Cayenne pepper

Red pepper flakes

Shredded cheddar cheese (I prefer Mexican four cheese)

Sour cream (magnificent combo if you're going the spicy route)

directions

Finely dice up a quarter of onion. I used a food processor to save time. Sauté onions in a small skillet. Set aside.

Cook ground turkey in a skillet until fully cook. Season as desired. I recommend adding in the cayenne now if you're interested in the dish being spicy. Otherwise, leave the cayenne out. Once meat is nearly cooked, add in onions. Pour out all of the liquid in the diced tomatoes and add to cooked meat.

Cook rice according to the directions on the the package.

While rice is cooking, pour out most of the liquid in the beans and warm up in a small pot on low heat. Don't forget to use non-stick cooking spray. Stir moderately just to ensure they don't stick or become dry. Rinse kale and let dry. Finely chop kale in food processor. Use as much kale as desired. Once processed, kale should be the size of a dried herb.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, mix meat, beans, rice, and kale.

Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and remove all the contents. I use a spoon to scrap everything out of the peppers. Rinse the peppers to clean and remove any remaining seeds.

Apply non-stick cooking spray to a medium sized pan. A pan where the peppers can lean on one another is best. If any of the peppers can't stand on their own, carefully cut the buttom to create a flat surface. Again, a pan where the peppers are close to one another will help with this.

Generously stuff each pepper and place in greased cooking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Add shredded cheese and bake until melted.

In a small saucepan, heat desired amount of tomato sauce at low heat. Add red pepper flakes to make the sauce spicy. I recommend putting the sauce on the pepper once it's plated rather than drenching all the peppers in sauce.

Enjoy!

the spice is real

If you were heavy handed with the cayenne, I know you're getting a feisty kick that has you grateful for the side of sour cream. I'm always impressed with myself when I make something spicier than I anticipated. It forces me to slow down for relief from the heat and enjoy every delectable bite.

If you're not opposed to adding a starchy vegetable, I'd recommend corn. If you're trying to cut back on carbs, I'd recommend cooking less rice and adding more meat, or take the rice out entirely.

I always find that eating an entire pepper can be a lot of food, so I like to pair it with something light like a salad. I'm curious to know what else you would pair with this dish and how you put your own twist on it. Let me know in the comments below!

​Until next time, stay beYOUtiful, keep life sweet, and never stop feeding your soul. -xo

Grilled chicken + MIxed greens + cranberries + pecans

This is a salad that will take you no time to whip up and enjoy on your lunch break from Monday through Friday. It's specifically geared towards all my foodies out there that want to have a delicious and healthy lunch without spending hours prepping on Sunday night. Surprisingly, I've alway strayed away from salads because I was under the impression that they're not filling or I'll be left feeling hungry before dinner time rolls around. With this salad, I didn't have that experience, and I encourage you to put your own twist on it so that you feel the same way. To put simply, these are greens done right. ​

Prep Time:​10 minutes

Cook Time:30 minutes

Total Time:40 minutes

Servings: 5

ingredients

Mixed greens

Baby spinach leaves

5 chicken breasts or 4 larger chicken breasts

1-2 peppers of your choice (I went with yellow to add some color to my salad)

directions

This is one of those recipes where you can feel your way through and you'll be just fine. I suggest to start by cooking your chicken breasts. I seasoned mine with the above listed items. Go lighter on the salt and black paper. Go heavier on the paprika, onion and garlic powder. Cook the chicken on a non-stick grill pan until all sides are done. This should take 25-30 minutes. If you're not sure if the chicken is done, check by cutting into the center. Even if it is, you can put it in the oven for 5-10 minutes just to be sure it has reached the right temperature (165 degrees Fahrenheit). While your chicken is in the oven or resting, chop up vegetables of your choice. Rinse your mixed greens and baby spinach with water. I pat my leaves dry with a paper towel, but letting it air dry works too. You can also chop up the pecans. If you use the Cherry Cranberry Pecano mix, the nuts will already be chopped into bite-size pieces.

Little insights

Plan to pick up more salad halfway through the week as salad doesn't keep for very long in the refrigerator. On both occasions, make sure you pay close attention to the 'best by' date.

If your salad is similar in size to mine, as shown in the pictures above, you'll only need a little less than 1/4 of a cup of salad dressing for each serving. If you like to have a lot of salad dressing, I suggest preparing to pack more.

Invest in a small liquid container so that your salad won't be welted or soggy by the time you eat it. You can find them at your local grocery.

Let me know what you think of this super simple salad in the comments below. Until next time, stay beYOUtiful, keep life sweet, and never stop feeding your soul. -xo

sun dried tomatoes and rosemary chicken

This easy 'chicken in a bag' recipe can be prepared for dinner or lunch. I came up with it while I was walking through the grocery store and realized that I wanted to make a chicken dish that requires little effort but is packed with bold flavors. I have a huge love affair with tomatoes, so working with sun dried rather than raw tomatoes seemed like a new adventure that I was ready to explore. The rosemary in this dish was inspired by my mother's delicious rosemary chicken that she would always bake when I was growing up. It's an herb that reminds me of home and comfort. Once I married the two, I wasn't sure of the results until I received such positive feedback on my snapchat from family and friends. I quickly realized that I was onto something and should have taken pictures throughout the process. Now that I've finally gotten back around to making this recipe, I've brought it to my Spice blog. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Add paprika to the top of the chicken breasts for browning. I suggest moving the tomatoes out of the way so that your chicken doesn't have any 'bald' spots once it comes out of the oven. Feel free to place the tomatoes back on top of the chicken once you're done adding paprika.

Cover cooking dish with aluminum foil, place in oven, and cook for 26-30 minutes.

If adding parmesan cheese, remove from oven 3-5 minutes prior to final cooking time, and place back in oven until melted.

​Enjoy!

Voila!

That's it. You're done. A no stress meal prep option for lunch or dinner that's packed with flavor and pairs perfectly with veggies and a side like mashed potatoes or rice. I encourage you to put your own spin on this recipe and experiment with other herbs that go well with sun dried tomatoes. Let me know what fancies your pallet and I'll give it a try. Until next time, beYOUtiful, keep life sweet, and never stop feeding your soul. -xo

how to make IRRESISTIBLE cake pops

Here's a "how to" guide on making cake pops so delicious that you'll wish you never made them at all after you're bombarded with endless requests to make more. I'll admit, it's a bit time consuming, but well worth it! I guarantee, they're irresistible to say the least. ​

Pre-Pop Prep Time:​1 hour

Pop Making Time:1 hour & 30 minutes

Total Time:2 hours & 30 minutes*

ingredients

1 cake mix or brownie mix + necessary ingredients for baking

Frosting (16 oz)

2 candy melts bags (each 12 oz)

additional materials

50 lollipop sticks (4-6 inches)

50 clear treat bags

50 twist ties

Parchment paper

2 floral foam blocks

2 pairs powder-free vinyl gloves

Keep in Mind: Total time disregards time spent allowing cake to cool, refrigeration time for cake and frosting mixture, and chilling time for pops.

Keep in mind, one box of cake mix makes approximately 30-37 pops. I used Betty Crocker Super Moist Vanilla Cake Mix, which made 33 pops. ​

directions

Prepare cake/brownie mix as directed by package.

​After baking, let cake cool completely.

Put gloves on and crumble the cake in a medium-sized bowl. If you use brownie mix, exclude the brownie edges (see picture #1 above).

*Add half of the 16 oz frosting to crumbled cake mixture. Combine cake and frosting until they are fully and evenly mixed together. You'll know that you've added enough frosting when you can form the cake into a loaf without it falling apart (see picture #2 above).

Refrigerate overnight, which I highly recommend, or until cold (1-2 hours).

Place parchment paper at the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan (you may have to line the bottom of another small dish in order to accommodate all of the pops).

​Place 25 candy melts into a coffee mug or deep microwaveable bowl. Heat the chocolate for 1 minute, removing from microwave every 10-15 seconds to stir.

Dip lollipop stick into chocolate and place lollipop into the center of the cake pop ensuring that you push it in until you reach just past the pop's center without piercing through the other side of the pop.

Set chocolate to the side and place cake pops into freezer for 20 minutes.

Grab 2 foam blocks and place aside. This is where your pops will stand to dry.

Melt additional chocolate in preparation of dipping the pops using the same chocolate melting technique from step 8.

Remove 1 pop from the freezer and dip into chocolate, carefully coating all sides. Gently tap lollipop stick against rim of cup/bowl to remove excess chocolate. Push lollipop stick into foam block. As you dip the pops, make sure you balance the placement of your pops on the foam so that it won't fall.

Let pops fully dry. If you notice that the pops are remaining moist or not hardening because of the warm room temperature, place them in the fridge to set.

Cover pops with treat bags and close with twist ties.

Serve and enjoy!​

*It's best to add the frosting gradually. Typically, you'll end up using half of the container, but by mixing in a little at a time, you prevent making the cake too mushy. You want your cake pops to have a cake-like texture. For brownie mix, you may have to use less or more frosting depending on the fudge-like texture of the brownies. **The use of gloves and the cool temperature of the batter should prevent it from sticking to your hands as you roll it into balls. Using your bare hands wastes a lot of the batter. ​

what do you think?

Share your experience with using this how to guide on irresistible cake pops in the comments section below. Additional tips and tricks for others to use are always helpful. Until next time, beYOUtiful, keep life sweet, and never stop feeding your soul! -xo